


Trouvaille

by TheProfoundSilence



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Human, BAMF Percy Jackson, Brotherly Love, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Friendship, Gen, Kid Percy Jackson, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Plot Twists, Secret family, Violence, brotherly bond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28190550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheProfoundSilence/pseuds/TheProfoundSilence
Summary: A tragedy forces Sally to raise Poseidon’s son all alone and another tragedy almost 9 years later reunites the father-son duo. It’s nothing like anyone could have imagined. Mortal AU
Relationships: Amphitrite/Poseidon (Percy Jackson), Hades/Persephone (Percy Jackson), Hera/Zeus, Sally Jackson/Gabe Ugliano
Comments: 32
Kudos: 102





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about that, guys. It's back online and will be posted regularly, or as regularly as my exam schedule permits. Otherwise, this is completely written and ready to be published.

In the orphanage, Percy was always given such sweet, pitying looks, like _poor little guy, he is so sweet. Wonder how they could hurt him like that._

Percy knew they pitied him, they always rather thought he was too young and too sweet and had a much too difficult life for his age. Percy didn't mind, he always got a few extra sweets hidden in his backpack, winks from his caretakers as they turned a blind eye to some of his shenanigans, extra food from some of the older kids under the table.

Percy also knew that this special treatment had nothing to do with his so-called 'difficult life'.

Sure, his mother was a hooker and an addict and her husband was a gambling drunk with contacts in the mafia, but all-in-all, Percy didn't really think his life had been so bad.

His mother usually ignored him, but she did remember him every once awhile, just enough to make sure the fridge had mostly enough (not always, but often enough he wouldn't starve or be malnourished or anything of the sort, and even when she wasn't around, he managed to get by). Sometimes, she even showed she had once had a heart by ordering him a pizza when she hadn't been home in a few days.

Usually, it was a sort of apology. _I know I haven't been home in a few days, so take this and keep your mouth shut._ It usually took her a few more days to manage to stumble back home again.

Sometimes Gabe and his buddies were around. Gabe always tried to take the pizza from him. _It's not like you earn your keep around here, boy!_ But Percy had hardly survived in such a toxic environment by being dumb.

Okay, that was a lie. He was plenty dumb and he knew it, but he also knew how to be sweet and charming and cute. And when Gabe snatched the box from his small hands which could hardly hold onto the box in the first place, he'd give him a sad wide-eyed look of despair. It always worked like a charm.

Someone would comment that it was hardly enough for them anyway, and another would suggest ordering some more. They would order a huge variety and he always got a selection and it'd always be enough for someone to push it in their fridge and make sure Percy knew. They'd wink, as if to say, _we got your back, kid._

And they had.

There was a time when he was younger when one of Gabe's buddies had slipped into his room, to his surprise, wanting to put him to bed. _You are a bit too young to be all alone, aren't you_ , he had muttered.

He told him a story. It started with _Once upon a time_ and talked about a sad girl with a terrible stepmother and even worse step-sisters and how a god-mother and Prince Charming had rescued her from her sad existence. _And they lived happily ever after._

That's stupid, Percy declared after a moment's thought. The man, Liam his name was,who was also predictably in the mafia was startled. "Why is that?" he asked, humoring him.

Percy was too young back then to explain what he had already understood even then, that depending on magic or wishes to make a sad and lonely existence better was a fool's errand. There was simply no satisfaction in a success that wasn't hard won, and no life that wasn't your own was truly worth living.

So he just shrugged cutely, asking which story this was. Liam stared, his dark eyes intense. Percy stared back, acting oblivious. Everyone thought he was stupid. It was easy for him to work that to his advantage. "That's Cinderella. I thought everyone knew that one."

Percy shrugged again. Mom and Gabe were hardly around to be reading him books and though he was a decent reader, he hardly had the time or the money to read for pleasure. Even the local library asked for a guardian or parent to be present to be responsible for the return of their books.

He could probably ask one of the guys around for a favor, but Percy had a priority list. He needed shelter (which he had never till date needed to worry about), clothes (he wasn't growing very quickly and that wasn't a concern. Yet.) and food (that one came and went, but Percy wasn't too worried. He had lots if backup plans and lots of guys to ask favor for).

Books were not on the priority list. If he started asking for things he didn't even need from people he couldn't fully rely on, he knew he'd be caught in a pickle when actually needed the things he asked for.

And so things went on, he got a bit older, a bit cleverer, a bit more independent.

Nobody really bothered with him too much, he knew how to duck under the radar. Until…

Ms Anna Grace was one of those irritating teachers who always knew the name of every child in class and believed in them whole-heartedly which was weird because they were only 7. She always treated them with the love and care a child deserves but also held them responsible for their actions and never just excused their behaviour.

Percy liked her (and her hugs, but he would never tell anyone how much he loved the feel of someone hugging him like he was loved) up until she insisted on meeting his parents.

"They missed the Parents-Teachers Meet. Have them come meet me after school." she told him, putting a notice in his backpack.

Percy felt his stomach swoop. Nobody ever really asked for his parents, no matter how much they missed his meets. He wasn't lagging behind enough to be a concern, and he always played and laughed and his smile was always happy enough to be comforting, and he was so good with other kids.

No matter how big a bully or which grade they were in, Percy knew how to get them to see his way. Fights were for silly children who didn't know any better, Percy could just talk them into seeing his way.

But Ms Grace would not budge. Percy explained that his parents were often working late, so Ms Grace, sweet understanding soul that she is, nodded and said she'd be willing to talk it over dinner. _Would Big Joe's work_ and it would be her treat, it was the least she could do for the parents of such a wonderful child.

But her eyes had a dark glint in her eyes. Percy understood, she suspected that his home life wouldn't exactly meet the criteria of Child Protective Services and was trying to help in her own wayward way. It was ridiculous. Percy knew how to handle things!

But there was no use arguing, especially now. He nodded and smiled sweetly at her and when she hugged him, he still hugged her back because she was ridiculous for thinking he needed help but at least her intentions were pure.

There were worse people in the world to be mad at than people who only did something with good intentions. Like people who had bad intentions. And good people with good intentions who didn't even have the courage to act on them.

But really, it still wasn't too bad. He asked Liam to come with, because Liam was charming and always knew what to say and still sometimes put him to sleep and told him new stories and gave him books.

And Liam handled everything wonderfully. Liam was his uncle (not really, but Ms Grace thought so) and he took care of Percy when his parents were busy or out of town. They work a lot, Liam said conspiratorially, as if taking her in on a secret. It makes people trust you more, Liam would later explain to Percy, if you talk like that, tell them something special or private, make them feel like they're in your club.

Ms. Grace nodded slowly, but he could see the tension bleed out of her shoulders.

And so on it went. Until one day Gabe slapped him in public.

It wasn't that Gabe was really abusive or anything, he was just mostly neglectful because he didn't really care and if he was too irritated, then he'd slap him sometimes and it wasn't even hard enough to really bruise or anything and it was only really sometimes!

Except that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

They found out about his mom's drug habit and the prostitution and they found out about Gabe being in the mafia and his dangerous drug habit and then they discovered the neglect.

Percy was in the library working on his homework where Mark (another one of Gabe's poker buddies who also liked and looked after Percy) had helped him issue a library card when they had come for him.

And so he had ended up in some sort of an orphanage, with both his mother and her husband firmly behind bars and with little to no chance of them ever regaining custody.

The orphanage was sometimes even crueler than his home place. The children there were angry and sad and scared, and with no other outlet, they sometimes took it out on each other. Mostly though, they helped each other.

Percy had the advantage of being very pretty and cute. It was stupid that it should count as an advantage, Percy had always thought to judge based on looks. But then again, his mother always said he couldn't recognize beauty.

She was actually probably right. He sometimes had trouble seeing a person as cute or beautiful even when everyone else agreed that they were.

Anyway, his natural advantage helped him in less than a month.

The first couple through the door, a seemingly rich couple, what with the polished shoes and suit and the various accessories on the woman had watched him (creepily) play through the windows as they took a tour, and immediately took a liking to him.

Introductions were made, each side warily sized up the other as if they were enemies rather than a potential family and off the couple took him for a trial run.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season's greetings to you all! Hope you have happy holidays!

Luke was having a very bad day.

Now normally he'd be making other people's days bad. Pulling off pranks and making trouble and of course, finding a scapegoat for his antics or making it all seem like a freak accident. He was pretty sure that Robert was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

But of course that was when he got kidnapped. Seriously?!

Of course his father was rich and influential, their whole family was. But kidnapping was what you did to little kids, not 16 year old teens with black belts in various martial arts classes and a propensity for sports.

Of course they had drugged his food or drinks or something, because they could never have taken him conscious. By the time he woke up, he was in the back of a van with his hands tied and feet bound.

The van wasn't moving and nobody was in, but he could hear a man's low menacing voice talking outside. He couldn't make out the words. No matter though. Freeing his hands took less than a minute, and then freeing his legs took even less so.

When the van doors opened, without hesitation, Luke kicked the distracted man's face in, who was looking over his shoulder talking to someone else. Amateurs, Luke thought disdainfully.

As if to lend credence to that theory, the second he was out of the van, he found himself on cemented road. Granted, the road was deserted for now, but he had no doubt that it'd be easy to find civilization like this.

He round-kicks another one and punches one and is honestly feeling pretty great about himself, when he is tackled from behind.

This one at least seems to know what he is doing. He holds him down so that Luke can't move or kick out. Before Luke can start panicking, the pressure is gone.

When he looks up, the three men he had kicked down are still thankfully down. His attacker is rolling on the ground, guarding his crotch and howling in pain. Luke is torn between laughing in amusement and wincing in sympathy.

He does something awkward in between.

When a small hand tugs at his own, he almost attacks on instinct. The little boy is a total cutie, and a definite troublemaker, judging by that terrifying look in his face as he looks at the man he had apparently kicked with grim satisfaction.

He looks up at Luke earnestly, "We have to get outta here." Luke doesn't even hesitate to follow him as the little kid starts running on his little legs.

Barely a few second later, his sense of urgency takes over and he easily grabs the boy and throws him over his shoulder, speeding up and ignoring his squeal of alarm. "Just tell me where to go."

They run in silence, and though Luke doesn't want to, a sense of dread creeps up the longer he runs and has time to think about this. Kidnapping is serious and he could have died. Worse still, they might have guns and since it is almost a given that they have started chasing after him (it makes his heart beat even faster, make him even more scared), they might just shoot him from behind.

And now a little kid is in danger because of him too.

He tightens his grip on the kid, a fiercely protective feeling overcoming him, the sort of feeling that can only bind people who have gone through similar tragedies together. _He would not let anything happen to the kid._

They emerge out of the deserted streets and into civilization. It's a rich suburban area with large mansions and pools and parks. Cool, but not as cool as his family's fortune which if combined is probably the largest in the world.

At the kid's prompting, they run into the first house they see. "I live here," the kid informs Luke's shoulder. Luke ignores him, and focuses on running.

He is starting to get tired and the kid isn't exactly light. Whatever they drugged him with is making itself known yet again. He had been running on pure adrenaline but even that seems to be running out.

"What's the password?" he asks the kid frantically, noticing the keypad from afar away.

"12345. But if you can kick it open, it'll set off an alarm and call the cops."

Luke does manage to kick it open, breaking the lock in three tries, each more frantic than the last. He runs in.

Percy wiggles down and leads the way now. Up the stairs and into a bedroom that Luke feels too panicked to even properly notice.

"This is my room." He informs in a hushed whisper.

"I don't care!" Luke whispers back harshly unable to help himself in his panic. Thankfully the kid doesn't start crying to give away their position.

He just opens his closet and tugs at the corner until it comes away, revealing a hidden small space.

"C'mon," he urges him in.

Luke snaps out of his shock and crawls in, throwing out a couple of toys he sees in the small space. The kid wiggles in after him, first closing the closet door and then the opening so that they are almost completely in the dark now.

It's a tight fit. Luke is squeezed in at an awkward position and is holding the little kid in his lap, but it's not so uncomfortable that he can't stay for a while without moving or giving away their position.

He is more worried about the kid. Will such a young kid even understand the danger and learn to keep quiet, not move, not even wiggle? He somehow doubted it.

So Luke shifts him a little but very carefully tries not to make a sound. He leans down a little so his mouth is directly next to what he thinks is his ear and tilts his head so that his ear is next to the kid's mouth.

"You have to keep very, very still, okay?" Luke whispers cautiously.

"Yeah." His voice is barely a whisper and Luke's feels cautiously optimistic. Maybe this could work.

"My name is Luke. What's yours?"

"Percy."

After that Luke is at a loss on what to say. He also feels strangely nervous having exchanged those words even though he logically knows nobody could have heard anything outside. But there is just this niggling what-if.

Thankfully, Percy's breaths even out as Luke is thinking and he realizes that the kid has fallen asleep, head on Luke's chest.

Relieved, he lets his eyes drop and the tiredness catch up with him. And he too falls asleep.

When he wakes up, it's not a big epiphany again. He already knows where he is. That's a relief honestly. He usually wakes up loudly with big exaggerated movements. Here, if he had tried that, he would have given away their position in a heartbeat, if the kidnappers were around.

 _Were the kidnappers around_ , he wonders, absently rubbing Percy's hair with his hand. His entire little face is dwarfed by Luke's hand. _How would they even realize when it's safe to really come out?_

He is tempted to just get out. He feels so stupidly trapped in a dark closet with a little kid with potential enemies right out the door. God, that sound like some stupid movie or video-game or something. God, he feels so trapped and suffocated.

And then his father's voice washes away all that anxiety. Luke freezes, senses on alert.

"Luke," Hermes calls out again. He sounds wrecked. And immediately after, starts crying. The sound pulls something deep inside of him. He wants to go out and comfort his father. But he is afraid it's a trick. How would he get here? This could be a recording or something.

Was he really crying like this somewhere over him? The thought makes him swallow a lump, and he hopes he doesn't start crying. That would be one potentially embarrassing way to give away their position.

"I don't think they're here." Hermes says, sounding wrecked. His voice seems faint, and Luke realizes belatedly just how insulated this place really is.

"We put out an amber alert. They can't have gone far. The men behind the scheme are all behind bars, and Percy is just a little boy. Even if Luke tried, he can't have dragged him too far. There are men in the woods and-"

Luke can't bear to listen anymore. They're really here, he understands now.

He excitedly shuffles to the side and in his haste forgets to factor in Percy. As he haphazardly pulls the cover down, he sees that the closet door is open and Hermes head all the way at the front of the room is angled so that he can see Luke come out and Luke can see the hope and the affection and the love in Hermes' eyes as he watches him.

Now, he feels like such a brat for making trouble for Hermes all the time. Of course, his father always forgives him eventually, always loves him, tells him it's all a part of growing up but Luke resolves to do better now.

He is so caught up in smiling at him that of course Percy who still been sleeping on him slips off dangerously and before Luke can even realize what has happened, Percy hits his head at the corner and slides down to the ground.

He can see Percy dazedly open his eyes, and a second of trying to orient himself after such a rude awakening. Luke's guilt skyrockets when he sees blood leak alarmingly from his head. Percy starts crying, softly but heart-wrenchingly. The kid has had a really terrible day.

Both the men at the door rush their way. Hermes hugs Luke tight, muttering Thank God's and never again's. The other man seems a lot more unsure. He crouches next to Percy, looking unsure then awkwardly pats him.

Luke looks over his father's shoulder in disbelief. Hermes is too preoccupied to care, but he can see Percy try to pull himself together, without the man's help. The man next to him, which must be Percy's father though they look nothing alike, looks relieved, standing back up and letting Percy pick himself up.

Luke resists the urge to scream. Freaking entitled asshole. He couldn't even handle his own kid. This was exactly the sort of behaviour he hated. It wasn't a blatant violation of child care code, not enough to attract the attention of the authority, not enough to get help, but just enough to ruin a kid's life.

He detaches himself from his father's embrace, though it made him feel wretched especially with that wrecked look on his face. He crosses over and hugs Percy, rubbing his back.

That is enough to make Percy lose control again. He starts crying again, the child in him soothed by the attention. He flings his arms around Luke, and Luke after so long, feels natural getting up and holding his precious burden in his arms.

There is a soft feeling in his heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Luke wakes up in the middle of the night, heart beating rabbit fast. The last he remembered was Percy getting his head shaved from the side to get his stitches. It had made him feel guilty, but Percy had been undeterred. He had enthusiastically decided it sounded cool.

He hadn't even cried while getting stitches, which even the paramedics and doctors had been impressed with. He had been all cried out by the time they reached the hospital. Majority of his tears and blood had ended up on Luke's shirt, and he could see Hermes giving Percy awkward looks, wanting him out of the way so he could hug Luke but feeling stupidly guilty about it too.

Percy's father hadn't even tried to fight them when Luke, Percy and Hermes had fit in the back of a car together, and nonchalantly decided he'd take another one, coming in to the hospital almost an hour after they were already in. This time even Hermes had understood the implications, giving Percy a sorry look.

As soon as they had got in, Luke decided he needed the bathroom. Hermes had wanted to come with. But leaving a little kid bleeding in the waiting room of a hospital would really be a new personal low. Percy had looked up, and very intuitively sensed what was wrong.

"It's alright," he said, patting Hermes. "I'll be fine. I won't even move from here. Besides, I know how to take care of myself. I do it all the time." Hermes shook his head and visibly pulled himself together. He weakly smiled and handed him his phone which had been left behind during his kidnapping.

"Be quick," Hermes pleaded.

Luke nodded. By the time he came back, Hermes and Percy were in a serious discussion about the best pranks ever, which he was informed was only after they had firmly decided that the best color was blue. "Like your eyes," Percy brightly noticed, glancing from Hermes to Luke.

Hermes, Luke was relieved to note, was starting to smile more genuinely now.

They were taken in, Percy for stitches in which both of them decided to bully their way in, even though they were not his guardians. But then again Percy's guardians were nowhere to be seen. And they did have a bit of humanity.

The cops on the side had given Percy proud smiles and patted his back but otherwise stayed firmly out of the way of the staff who had warned them not to disturb their young traumatized patients. Luke had rolled his eyes at this, but didn't say anything. He felt too tired to give a statement or whatever else they wanted from him.

Oh no, his tantrum started when they decided they wanted to keep him for observation.

"I just want to go home," Luke said, frustrated.

"We don't know about the drugs you were given or how they might react inside your body. We need to keep him for an overnight observation."

Hermes took his side. "What if we took a hotel nearby and hired a physician for the night. That would ensure proper observation and it'd be near enough to the hospital that we could be back quickly if needed."

The doctor looked cautious, but she slowly nodded. "You would have to sign out AMA but personally that would probably work. We're not actually anticipating problems, just preparing for the possibility."

Another doctor looks at them reluctantly, too cautious to want to let them go, but starts to usher Percy away. "Now just wait a second," he called out. "Where are you taking him?"

"He has a head injury. He needs to be kept for overnight observation too."

"Yeah, but he can stay with us. We can even hire 2 physicians if it'll make you feel better." Luke doesn't even glance at his father as he says this. His vow to be good does not extend to this. He feels off-kilter, like the second he lets him out of eye-sight, something bad might happen to the kid or something.

It suddenly strikes him that this must be exactly what Hermes is feeling.

The doctor shakes her head, "I'm sorry, sir. But his guardian has already approved the overnight stay. I cannot let you take him."

Luke clenches his jaw. Hermes saves the day. He puts his hand on Luke's shoulder, and decided that it wouldn't be too bad to stay in for one night, right? Luke had smiled gratefully.

He doesn't remember going to a room or falling asleep. But what he does remember is this: Percy who is all alone in his private room finally wakes up tiredly. He glances around, but finds no-one. Pouting, he rubs his eyes and wiggles his way down from the bed which takes a bit of an effort.

He wanders off, then a little too far and those men come and grab him, their faces angry and cruel and Percy is crying and he is calling for Luke, he is begging for his help and Luke just stares and stares and stares…

He gets up, pulse rabbit-fast and flings out of bed. To his side, Hermes, who had been sleeping on one hand uncomfortably on a chair jerks up too.

"Percy," he says urgently. "Where is Percy?"

"Luke, calm down. It's the middle of the night. He's sleeping, alright? He's just in the next room and he's sleeping. You're both safe. You can-"

Luke doesn't bother to listen anymore, he rushes out the door and into Percy's room on the first try. Percy is sleeping, alright, one hand fisted in his own shirt, the other hand's fingertips at the edge, legs sprawled carelessly, drooling lightly and sleeping so deeply he doesn't even stir at Luke's entrance.

Luke carefully walks over, and sits down at the edge, lets his arm curl around the kid, watches him sleep, watches him breath, slowly feels himself calm down, slowly lets go of his fear…until all that is left is his self-loathing and anger at how far he seems to have fallen.

How could something so small effect him so drastically? Nothing had happened, he was safe, everything was fine, and yet he felt so changed, so different.

Exhausted by his own thoughts, he falls asleep to the rhythm of Percy's slow breathing.

The next few days are exhausting for all of them. They have to stay a couple of days to give their statement.

Luke tells them all about the fight and Percy's involvement and how he had guided him to his home, suggested breaking the locks and then found them a hiding place where they had eventually fallen asleep in.

His tone is even. In the daytime with so many cops and his father around, with them looking at him like he was a hero, praising him, congratulating him, he feels strong and invincible. It's nothing like some nights when all that can calm him down is Percy's beating heart and the only thing that can make him smile is Percy's enthusiastic chatter.

Percy is not quiet or calm by any means, but he is rarely noticeable around the house because has learned the art of hiding. He would run off and climb trees, talk to strangers on the streets and make friends easily, he smiled brightly even when he played with his games alone. But he is not used to having an adult be responsible for him.

The day after they had been discharged, they had been invited by Percy's father to stay in their mansion. It wasn't like he was lacking in rooms and apparently Hermes and _call-me-Adrian_ were business partners (which meant that Hermes was Adrian's boss but Adrian was at a decent position in the company) which was how Adrian had recognized Luke when the alarm had sounded and he had switched on the cameras. From one of those countless parties they had both been obligated to attend.

Percy had tiredly sat at the sofa after they had gotten home and let his father make him a plate. After eating though, he had gotten restless, kicking his feet and making bored faces. Adrian had given him a warning look, and that had prompted Percy try to sit straight for all of 5 seconds.

He kept trying to kick his feet in boredom then checking himself. Eventually, he got bored and tired enough to go to bed. If Luke would have looked up at the time, he would have seen it was 8. But of course, Percy had had to be responsible for his own bed-time and waking up and get ready for years.

That day was no exception. He woke up all by himself before school-time and brushed his teeth. He didn't make the bed but really, what was the point if he going to mess it up again? He got dressed and went down to make himself breakfast. When Luke had come down, he had been both saddened and infuriated to find Percy had climbed on the counter-top to take out a box of cereal for his breakfast.

Luke had told Percy he didn't need to go to school that day because they were needed by the cops for questioning. Percy had looked up, eyes lit up at the thought of ditching school.

The only reason he was so responsible about it was because he knew that if he didn't take care of himself, nobody would. There was no-one to nag about school and nobody to care if he didn't go and so he had taken responsibility.

But like any other child, Percy was happy to ditch school to have fun with Luke, considering their questioning wasn't for a while yet.

(Luke casually asked why he hadn't waited for an adult to fix him his breakfast and Percy had explained that Melissa was on a vacation in Paris and Adrian was usually not home or was sleeping. The cook is supposed to make him breakfast and had for the first few days, but then weirdly disappeared so Percy had taken over. Luke casually kept him out of the house and ear-sight as Adrian finally lost his cool and composure and yelled at and fired the cook. Luke was thankful the man wasn't completely hopeless.)

Except it wasn't that easy. When Luke was busy with Hermes, Percy had gone out and climbed up a tree. There was a few moments' panic when they couldn't find him and a few more when they found him dangling by a weak branch.

Luke scolded him, and Percy looked disbelieving and annoyed at being scolded for something so trivial when he'd always before had fierce and absolute independence in his life.

Things only worsened from there.

Percy didn't hesitate to run off and do what he wanted. Sometimes it was the sort of risky things that you wouldn't allow a kid to do. In the first day, before interrogation alone, Percy had managed to thoroughly rile them all up. Adrian (even Percy called him Adrian, not dad or anything. Apparently he was in foster care and might get adopted, but had not settled yet, having been there for less than a month.) who had never taken care of a child, nor ever wanted to, was out of his wit's end.

Even in the police HQ, while Luke was giving his statement after Percy had given his, he had sneaked off apparently to pet a dog he had seen through the window.

The entire police station had gone done in an uproar trying to find the missing child until almost a heart-breaking hour later, they had found him in the park playing fetch with his new friend.

Adrian had stalked forward, his fear and worry giving way to anger and angrily scolded him for wandering off alone. Percy had looked up rebelliously, a mutinous frown on his face. Until something else happened. And again. And again.

Luke wakes up with night terrors and nightmares. He is still irrationally scared of what could be, but Percy's antics had scared him even more. He sees Percy running out to pet a dog or talk to a stranger or just to mess around and he sees him taken away by faceless, nameless men in masks.

He sees Percy climbing up the counter to make his breakfast and slipping down, hitting his head on the edge, slumping down with dead, green eyes.

Once, and only once, did he see him sold off to a human trafficking ring as if he was nothing, beaten and bruised and moaning for help and had woken up crying and sobbing and panting to breath. He had run in to Percy's room and picking him up from the bed, hugged him. His soft vanilla scent, that babyish calming scent in his hair, the way his eyelids fluttered open as he woke up to Luke's abrupt breakdown, the way he softly cooed and tried to calm him down…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A happy new year to all! Welcome, 2021! We got high expectations from you ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay. Life struck, this time for good :) I now have an active little pup and am tired of running around him all day. College exams are insanely hectic. I will be updating two chapters to make up for that. Hope you guys understand :)

Between Hermes and Percy, it is easy to forget that he has a life back in New York.

It wasn't as if that life was bad. On no, far from it, in fact.

He has a huge family and cousins and uncles and friends who all love him and care for him in their unique way. But in a way, after this kidnapping, it all seems so far away.

They are worried, they want to meet him, they want to make sure he is okay. They wanted to come but Luke needs space but more than that, Luke needs Percy.

Percy is only 7 years old and he values his independence above all else. He had gone from a very neglectful household to another neglectful household. (Adrian and Melissa were actually on the verge of a divorce and it had been even easier to push Percy in the background. The nanny had slacked off and Adrian had been too stressed and too busy.

He hadn't known how to take care of a child, they had only decided to foster in the hopes that it might rekindle their spark. When it hadn't worked, Adrian didn't have the heart to drop him off back at the over-crowded orphanage and reasoned that it would be better to have a nanny take care of him in a luxurious household, never having imagined it would take such a turn.

Luke didn't want to but he did see his point. Besides, the man was trying now. He wasn't bad, just terribly misguided.)

He does everything by himself. He goes to sleep on time and wakes up on time and mostly usually tries to do his homework and in between he wanders off to make friends or go exploring or some other adventure. (Which was actually how he had found Luke.)

Percy is also very annoyed at all the adults suddenly taking an interest in his life and wanting to control it. The teachers are more concerned at school and his home-life is no longer a free-to-do-whatever style he had going on.

It's ridiculous when Percy throws tantrums and declares that it's not fair and only reluctantly lets Luke in to play because Luke is 16 with people practically throwing themselves at him and here's a little kid who is just so done with his shit. There's also the part where Luke is being the responsible one and cramping an 8-year old kid's style. Seriously?!

That one had to be a new personal low.

One night, he hears the two adults talking.

"I'm not sure I'm cut out for this. Percy is a very responsible child for sure. He thinks he doesn't need anyone and that is…troubling. He needs patience and care and time. I'm all out of those. But sending him back seems so cruel and heartless. I-"

Luke walks in before his anxiety reaches higher. Life wasn't fair, and now Percy would be sent back just because this moron had no sense. Well, not if he had his way!

"You're just going to send him away because you're busy." Luke hissed angrily, but taking care to keep his voice low. No point in waking Percy up.

Hermes leaned down to put his glass of whiskey on the coaster on the table. "Luke, no. We all want what is best for Percy now-"

"No, I WANT what's best for Percy. If that moron," he gestures to a silent Adrian "wasn't so busy with his work and his stupid money, it could all be better. And I really thought at least you were better than this, dad! Percy may act responsible" okay that was a bit of a stretch. Just because the kid knew to sleep and wake up on time and make his own meals and stuff did not mean he was mature. "but he is just a little kid! You can't send him back!"

"Are you done?" Not giving him a chance to go again, Hermes goes on. "We're not sending him back, Luke. I promise. He'll be well taken care of but Adrian is right. He doesn't have the time or care-" He barrels on over Luke's growl. "-but we do." Wait, what?!

"Luke, we have to go back to New York. It's been 2 weeks now. Everybody is worried, I could barely just keep them away from coming over because you needed time. And I think we have intruded enough on Adrian's hospitality."

Waving away Adrian's protests, he continued. "But you need Percy and Percy though he may seem difficult sometimes needs you, Luke. He needs someone to love him unconditionally. So well, I thought about fostering Percy with us. It's not like it would be the first time. Of course, nothing is set in stone still. We'll have to hash out the details and talk to Percy, but well-" Hermes' voice slowly faded away as Luke fell deep in thought.

When he went to bed that night, it was with a smile on his face. No nightmares haunted his nights as if Life itself was saying that this was the right choice to make.

* * *

Life was too fast, and too quick and too scary for Percy.

It was like he blinked and life had changed and another blink, and life changed yet again.

Blink. Mom and Gabe were yelling obscenities as he stood in the doorway; hands over his ears, Liam turned him away as the police took them away…

Blink. Andrew, his social worker smiling at him, comforting him as they took him away too.

Blink. A crowded home and broken hearts and a run down home where he had to share everything, where privacy meant even little than it had before.

Blink. He had just started liking his new home, when a new couple who also weren't in love, who also never looked at each other (just like his mom and Gabe) took him home. Things are a lot like they were back home. Alone when he wakes up and alone when he makes his food and alone when he tucks himself in. He misses Liam and his bedtime stories and the way he'd sometimes pat him to sleep.

Blink. Percy had decided to make friends after 3 days of coming home to an empty house. What if he ran out of food again or needed help getting the teachers off his back or something? He goes out and wanders off and there are so many people he meet that he likes.

Blink. He runs off the path a little. There is a lake across the street and an old lady all the way across the lake. He goes there every day now, to wave at her as if to say 'hi'. He doesn't even know her name and she doesn't know his either. But it's his birthday today and he just wants to see some acknowledgement. Just a little. Except there are shady men in a white van that just screams kidnapping and he's right when this guy comes out and kicks ass and he is so cool! Percy kicks one too and thinks dreamily that this might just be his best birthday ever!

After that, it's even faster, even more awesome, but also a bit (a little more than a bit) more scarier.

Luke is awesome, but he is also like a nagging grandma. Don't climb on weak branches! Don't run after dogs bigger than you! Don't talk to strangers or accept candy from them!

Seriously, Luke is too cautious and he really doesn't want to make friends, it seems. But he is also really awesome!

Luke knows how to have fun when he is not being a nagging grandma, and he knows how to make awesome food and make really tasty stuff and he even once ordered ice-cream and pizza with his own money and they had sneaked out to the nearest garbage can outside so the boring, stuffy adults wouldn't know they had eaten it.

Luke also takes care of Percy, and it annoys Percy when he tries to make everything go his way but Percy also sort of loves him because he knows Luke really, really cares. There are nights when Luke wakes up crying and shaking and then only Percy can calm him down because Luke loves him the most and Hermes had said so.

(When Hermes had said this, he hadn't sounded sad but Percy had still hugged and sang him a lullaby. The same one Liam always sang to him when he was sad.

He had said that it was a magical song for wonderful boys and it always worked. It must have worked again because when he looked up, Hermes had been smiling so wide there were tears in his eyes and he had kissed Percy's forehead and called him an angel.

The warmth of that memory had followed him to sleep and even decades later, he still wouldn't have told anyone of this special memory but it would still be enough to make him smile, even in hard times.)

And then Percy must have blinked again sometime, because now everything is being packed up and they are all going to NY which is awesome because he might meet Liam again.

What is also pretty cool (but a little scary, just a little not that he'd ever tell anyone this) is that he can live with Luke and Hermes now.

What is really not cool: there will be other people in the house and Luke even has other friends and family and Percy has to bite back the growl that wants to say that Luke is his! He forces down his trepidation at the thought of meeting so many new people (Luke knows a lot of people, like, a lot!) and living in a new place. It's not like it's his first time. It's not even his first time this year.

When they get to the airport, he is given a choice. He can hold Adrian, Hermes or Luke's hand, but he has to hold onto them and he is not allowed to wander off. Percy pouts. He has never been to an airport before and there is so much to see and he wants to wander off and see it all!

Unfortunately, they are on a schedule, so Luke grabs his hand tight and drags him to one of the many counters. Luke has grabbed a yo-yo from somewhere and distracts Percy with it, as Hermes and Adrian hurriedly show their passports to the lady on the counter that says 'VIPs and Diplomats Only'. There is no-one in the line except for them.

Then they inch their bodyguards forward, them carrying their various luggage pieces and equipment. Percy has yet to notice them. Which is good in a way. If he starts fussing, they could probably distract him with one of the men in black. With their black-tinted sunglasses, a blue-tooth device on their ears, a black suit and an expression of stone, they do look formidable and impressive enough to give even Percy pause for awhile.

Then it's a hurried rush again, because Percy hates being told what to do and he hates being trapped but it's not like they can let him wander on an airport alone. Luke is good at distractions but they all know the signs and Percy is about to get cranky and then God help everyone in his warpath.

Thankfully, the security check in goes splendidly. Percy looks happy with the whirring sign the metal detector makes as they walk through. As they all take off their shoes and belts and put them in the basket, Percy makes whirring noises as he goes in and out of the detector, back and forth and back again.

As they are in the VIP line, there is no-one except for them, which is good because they aren't blocking the line. What is not good is that the security staff look twitchy and unhappy with this new development.

After just 4 rounds, Luke grabs Percy and wrestles off his shoes and other accessories. Percy fusses and uhh's and ahh's and puts his arms towards the metal detector as if to grab at it. But he is small enough that Luke gets him out of there with little trouble.

Adrian is afraid that he is going to start crying, but he is once again happily distracted. This time by the conveyor belt. Percy tries to insist that he too go with the luggage in the conveyor belt because he is small enough and Adrian has to pull him back as he tries to climb on it. They are all stifling their laughter.

Thankfully, they have a private jet because Percy makes a face at the seat-belts like they had suspected he would and tries to get it off but it's child proofed for this reason alone.

Hermes distracts him with the nearest window, telling him all about how they'd be flying soon enough and they would be able to see the clouds.

Percy soon falls asleep, and they relax, exhausted with keeping up with a snarky over-enthusiastic child.

It doesn't last long. By the time, the flight starts to descend and Luke has leaned over and buckled up Percy again, he is awake. He didn't wake up slowly or anything. One second he was sleeping, the nest Hermes looked over, Percy was already attentive and staring down at the ground coming towards them with fascination.

Which is why when Zeus himself comes to get them, they are trying to shuffle him away from the trained dogs that roam the airports. Percy wants desperately to pet them. Nobody else is happy about this new development, except maybe the dog who wagged his tail when Percy fed him a treat from his hands while they were all otherwise distracted. The dog's handler was not pleased.

When Zeus sees them, he comes over and easily hauls him up. He tries to calm a wailing Percy by hushing him and then promises Percy he can come over and pet his dog and he has a son about his age and they can play in the yard and…Slowly Percy begins to calm, especially when Zeus hands him a trick candy and he pulls a face, like he isn't sure whether to like or hate the sour taste of the candy.

(Of course, they aren't really named after the Greek Gods. That would be so silly, especially considering they weren't even related. Three business partners had started their company and risen to the top with such astounding success that they started calling them the Big Three. After that, naming them after the Greek brothers was a no-brainer, especially seeing how close they were, and they had Greek roots and it seemed to fit well.

Their wives took on the names of the original wives of the Big Three, though Persephone was bitterly angry that it implied that she had been kidnapped, when Hades was such a charming sweetheart and Hera was miffed that her husband was supposedly a womanizer when actually he was a loving father and adoring husband.

As their business expanded and more partners were included in their inner circle and eventually became as close as family, they were crowned with their own aliases. Hermes particularly likes his own name and his original name, Matthew is nothing but a formality for official documents now.)


	5. Chapter 5

Amphitrite, or Amy as most people called her (which was ridiculous because her real name was Sarah, but it had grown on them so much that even her parents only called her Amy now!) made a face and took the letter to the shredder. Again.

Sally Jackson may have had a one-night stand with her husband while they were once fighting (it had scared him straight into running back to her arms and he had honestly told her everything. He was always honest, no matter what he'd done wrong and she had forgiven him. Eventually.). It did not however mean that the woman could send him a letter. From jail.

Letting the letter shred, she makes her way to the kitchen. Luke, that poor boy, is coming back home and their children in college and all their relatives working elsewhere are making their way home to check up on him, show their concern, see he is alright.

This is part of what she loved about her family. They may not be blood and there were times she had gone without speaking to them for months, but they were always there when they were needed, when there was a problem.

The fact that Hermes had fostered another child was pretty exciting too.

They had all always accepted the many foster kids that had been adopted unconditionally. And it was important to show the newest member of their family the same courtesy.

She smirked at the thought of a poor child being overwhelmed by their many guests all clamoring for his attention. Then again, he had apparently run _towards_ a kidnapping to kick a kidnapper's ass (literally!) and he had befriended the notorious Luke Castellan, who was infamous for making friends and being friendly but rarely being satisfied enough to let them in his inner circle.

And now apparently he liked a little kid enough to want him as a brother.

Amy had to smile at the thought.

* * *

Luke is the one to greet them at the party or reunion or whatever by sheer chance. He was the closest to the door. Triton leans forward and unabashedly pulls his into a hug.

(Poseidon and Amy had just accepted the chaos that came with their new names, and named their child Triton for mostly humor purposes. Zeus and Hades had tried their very best to go in the opposite direction and not let their children get caught up in this silly name thing.)

He looks at Luke, concerned, noting the tiredness and weariness in his eyes. Getting kidnapped is no picnic. The fear must have been overwhelming. It had certainly been for them, waiting for that phone call and dreading it at the same time.

They walk in. There are a lot of 'hellos' and claps on the back and people pulling each other into hugs. Some of them have to re-teach the children on who they are. It's hard for little children to remember so many faces and names and people, some of them who they haven't had a chance to see in ages.

Time had kept them all busy, and even Amy has to struggle to recall some people. It shows a lot of commitment that they all scratched off their busy schedules from their calendars just to show up as a show of solidarity.

She finally reached Hermes who greeted her with a wide smile, hugging her and then pulling Triton and Poseidon in for hugs as well.

"Where is the little one?" she demanded excitedly. She had already talked about Luke and there would be more time to fuss over him, but she wasn't going to be forgetting the second reason for this reunion. And well, Amy had always loved children.

Triton had always wanted to be a big brother too. Little brother or sister, he hadn't cared. He used to watch the children play outside with wide eyes and run to her and beg for a baby.

Amy used to laugh and spin him around and promise him one. They instead got two. Twins, they had squealed for months and smiled and celebrated at the thought.

It should have been a happy occasion but Amy had been the unlucky survivor. She had begged and begged the doctors, her husband, all the gods above to take her and spare her children. But they had both been still-born.

So perfect and lovely, except that one had no heart and the other was fused so dramatically to his twin he had no chance of survival. It had been the worst torture imaginable.

Triton had been horrified, Amy had been depressed and 'Don had tried to pick up the pieces again and again. Until he had gotten out and gotten drunk and had a one-night stand with a hooker of all people.

When he had come home, still and lifeless and full of shame, she had for the first time, instead of pushing him away thought _we're in this together_ and pulled him close.

Children were still a sore topic, and had been for so long. She never had the strength to carry another or even really think about it. Even adoption seemed like a terrifying barrier.

Triton never got to be a big brother like he had always desperately wanted. She never got the children she had craved.

When earlier it would have been jealousy that had plagued her at the thought of another child and they would have taken care to shield her from such a gathering, now she only feels longing, a sense of wistful nostalgia.

Hermes glances at her, there is that hint of sharp perception in his eyes. He hasn't risen up the ranks by being a fool. He smiles at the sincerity in her tone. Had she been upset, he would have shifted the conversation, kept the boy away from her and she would have been grateful for their unspoken agreement. There is no need for that here though.

"He's sleeping. Luke is going to wake him soon though, I think. He is practically jumping up and down in excitement."

"He didn't look that excited." She murmured cautiously.

Hermes sighed sadly. "It hasn't been easy, but Percy's made it better. It's hard to be down around him. He has a lot of energy and not a lot of good ideas."

"Troublemaker?"

Hermes rolled his eyes. "The only reason he is sleeping is to recharge himself enough to cause enough trouble for all of us."

"He can't be that bad." They had brought him home after all.

Hermes smiles, but they are interrupted by the cheering and hooting. Luke and Triton had apparently been unable to help themselves.

They are both holding one hand of a little boy, with a black jeans, a white shirt which says 'My parents think they're in charge. That's so CUTE' with little boots and little sunglasses. He's so cute she has to coo. She just knows Luke and Triton dressed him up.

When Percy sees so many people crowding him, he uhh's and looks around. She is a little worried he is going to start crying and so are apparently some others who start trying to turn around and try not to crowd him.

But Percy only takes off his sunglasses which Luke immediately takes from him with an eye-roll and a 'Your Highness'. Percy immediately looks around, and she sees that a side of his head is shaved off. Hair is starting to grow back, but there is no denying the stitches which have yet to come out.

She feels cold and angry. She hadn't known he had been injured in the attack.

He doesn't seem bothered by his injuries or that so many people are still staring at him, he smiles and waves and yells, "Hi! I'm Percy."

Some people laugh. Others wave back and greet him with 'Hello' and 'Hi, Percy'.

As he walks down the hallway, many people pass him by, some ruffling his hair, pinching his cheeks. One gave him a hi-five and Percy was so charmed he kept insisting Triton do it all the way until they reach Hermes. Triton looks a little wistful, and a lot happy. He never really got over not being a big brother. It's nice that the new child is not shy enough, and is including him in.

Percy looks at Hermes and laughs delightedly, running up to hug him. He peers up from his hug, "You look nice. And you smell really nice."

"Thank you, Percy." Percy nods to him, absently petting his leg.

Amy can't help but smile as he looks her way. The boy must also have Greek roots It shows in his complexion, but the way he tilts his head to look at her reminds her uncannily of Triton for a short second.

"Hello," he said, staring at her with a smile that was a tad familiar. She smiles back, watches as Triton comes up and hauls him by the armpits and they all race out where all the little kids and the teenagers are hanging out, happy to be away from adult supervision for awhile.

Most of the older ones drank and made out a little, but they felt responsible enough for the kids not to wander off too far or do anything too extreme.

They can get to know Percy in time, slowly. For now, he needed to mingle with other kids his age.

* * *

Triton had been running around with Luke, keeping Percy from exploding. When the other older children had seen his little t-shirt, they had smiled and laughed.

They weren't laughing for long.

Percy didn't bother to learn relations from one person to another, or hell, even learn their names. There were a lot of children and he knew he couldn't learn them all in one day, so he didn't bother to try, jumping straight to the fun stuff.

They had left him alone with other kids his age. Luke was a bit reluctant.

"Guys, you don't know what he is capable of. Trust me, he shouldn't be left alone."

Thalia popped her gum and rolled her eyes. "Relax, Luke. He's gonna be fine. He doesn't need you to hold his hand. He is a tough little kid. Or," she muttered slyly. "Did the kidnappers hit his head too hard?"

It was dead quiet.

Sometimes, Triton lamented, Thalia had no sense of tact whatsoever. She had obviously seen the little kid's injury and was making fun in her own callous way as she usually did. It was funny when it was directed elsewhere. Hell, they usually even had the strength to laugh even at their own expense. Not so much now.

Luke stiffened.

His kidnapping had been clean, relatively speaking. Not much trauma or scare tactics or whatever horror they liked to show on TVs and horror movies. From before he had made his escape, he barely remembered impressions of being tied up and help down, which made him feel helpless enough.

His long hours in the closet had not helped matters. The dark came back, sinister and convoluted. He felt trapped, claustrophobic. Like there were monsters just around the corner, just waiting to pick them up.

He felt stupid enough relying on a little kid to chase away his nightmares. He didn't need anyone poking fun at such a sensitive topic.

But Thalia just wouldn't be Thalia without it. Thing was, she got chattier and more callous the more worried she was.

In the next few moments of silence, she had insulted his lame-ass skills in martial arts. _You managed to get kidnapped by a bunch of morons._ Which was a pretty indirect of saying it's your fault for getting kidnapped. She didn't mean that, but of course Luke heard it that way.

Then she made a joke about coming out of the closet.

Nobody was laughing. Luke was red with anger. He felt cold as ice. He had to get out of here.

"Thalia, sometimes you can be a real dumb-ass, you know that?" Luke kept his words conversational, almost light, but his tone was frigid. Triton easily found the source. Percy had wandered in to see what was going on. Luke wouldn't lose his temper with him around, no way.

"Hey, don't talk to my sister like that." Little Jason had jumped the party and it didn't matter who was in the wrong. When push came to shove, he would always choose his sister's side.

"Back off, Jason. Don't talk to my brother like that." Luke turns, surprised that Percy is defending him and surprised that he is being acknowledged as a brother. It warms his heart.

Until Jason in typical Grace fashion jumps up and pushes Percy. Percy, having lived in the darker parts of New York, was a bit more frontal in his attack. He delivered a mean right hook, legs planted firmly on the ground.

Blood spurts. Jason falls back and screams. Thalia yells and in blind anger, charges forward and slaps Percy. Hard.

"Enough!" Triton growled. They all freeze. "Thalia, what is the matter with you?"

"He started it! He is the one who punched Jason."

"I don't care, Thalia. Jason is the one who pushed him first. And it doesn't matter who did what first anyway. They're little kids. They are not supposed to be using their fists to resolve arguments. And instead of stopping a fight and telling them off, like you're supposed to do as a fair impartial adult, you go on and slap a child and start acting their age too. I'm so disappointed in you, Thalia."

He walked away without waiting for a response or an agreement from the rest of them. He easily picked Percy up. Percy didn't make a sound. He didn't even raise a hand to his reddening cheek. He just stared at them solemnly, like he could sense the tension in the crowd.

Luke hesitantly walked past Thalia and after Triton. Which is normally a suicide mission.

When Triton was this angry, everybody just got out of the way so they don't become collateral. His anger was cold and wouldn't calm until he had had his revenge and they all knew it. But Luke couldn't just leave Percy alone with him.

They sit down at the edge of the lawn. Nico and Annabeth had seen the argument and gone to comfort Thalia. Their loyalty was commendable but ultimately blind.

So the three of them sat away from the others, too angry to even care that they had isolated Percy as well.

"What would you like to do, Percy?" Triton asked indulgently after they had been sitting in the grass for a good ten minutes. It had calmed everyone down even though Percy had in boredom managed to swallow a bug and freak Triton out. Luke had just laughed so hard he cried.

"Um…I dunno. We could play a game?" They stared at each other. What kind of game could they play outside? They had no board games and most games Luke and Triton knew were not age-appropriate.

"We could go give him a tour of the community." That was agreeable to all of them. It was a gated community with just one entrance and multiple guards. They were as safe as they could be. They could get something to eat out too. The buffet was all the way across the lawn and none of them wanted to cross anyone else right now.

There were so many wonderful places to be explored but many of them were in a mutual unspoken agreement off-limits for now with a little kid in tow and the only light from their futuristic fancy looking white street lights.

That didn't stop them from telling stories however.

Due to various reasons, this piece of land had been turned into a desert, with no water and no people. Unlike most places though, the locals had looked upon this arid piece and decided not to give up on it.

In the span of a few years, they had worked and given this land their all. They had planted hundreds of thousands of trees and toiled on the lands until the desert had been converted into a beautiful forest and the wildlife and the birds had come back.

A piece of civilization had been delicately and carefully cut from the lands. There were still trees everywhere. There were trees between houses and their local park was nestled deep in between some beautiful greenery. Spring here was always bright and both boys had fond memories of ladybugs and butterflies and uncommon birds that still visited these lands.

Percy listened with rapt fascination.

They pointed down the street to a deserted lane which ran parallel to the path they were walking on.

"It is said," Luke said with exaggerated drama which made Triton roll his eyes and look exasperatedly at Percy which in turn made the boy giggle. But just a bit. He was too caught up in the story. "That before the heroic locals came to rescue it, people from some other village found the deserts. Thinking it to be a useless piece of land, they came here to bury their dead.

But of course when the good locals found the graves, they wondered what to do. Ultimately, they built the entire forest half on top of the graves. Just beyond that lane, there are no houses and no parks. Just trees because of course nobody wanted to disturb the graves again. Sometimes the ghosts come to the edge of that lane. No farther of course. They are already pushing their limits. But sometimes you can see them there. Which is why we should never walk that path if we can help it."

Percy bobbed his head, grinning wide. "Cool! We can go see those ghosts! We can, right? Please. Pretty please with cherry on top."

Triton snorted but shook his head. "They don't just come out for anybody, you know. It'll take a lot of time and lots of stakeouts to even catch a glimpse of one of them. We can try that later. I'm hungry now."

They wandered off to a food stall. Whether it counted as a street-side vendor or an open cafe or what, Triton had never figured out.

The tree beside it was huge. It's branches were just as thick. Triton had no idea how long the food-stall had been there but it was half molded from wood of some other tree and part of the tree had been manipulated to provide shelter and space.

Overall it gave the feeling of walking into the trunk of a tree or to get their food. The roof itself was also made of wood. The finish was rough instead of smooth giving off the feeling that it was the outside tree that made up the roof of the place. Triton wasn't entirely sure it wasn't.

Vines covered the roof and from them dangled various assorted candies, made to look like exotic fruits. But not the sort that grew anywhere on Earth for sure. The left wall, the one that wasn't part of the tree looked slimy and greenish with algae like in a cave. Water rapidly flowed down the walls, giving off the impression of a waterfall.

The water that came down flowed down a canal and out of sight into the forests. It wasn't a river of course, it was purely man-made. But to them, it was the river that watered the entire forest.

Percy looked around in awe.

The man at the counter is dressed normally in a jeans and shirt, which always looks bizarre. Luke had several times insisted to Andrew to wear something that'll go with the Earth-themed place he has going on and Andrew always gave him dirty looks, but had since one Sunday started wearing weird strange fantasy costumes from various fandoms every Sunday. It made them all feel like they were in some weird medieval fantasy game.

He looks down at his new customer and smiles. "Who is the little cutie?"

Percy glances back smugly at the two of them. "I'm a cutie." He tells them in what he probably thinks is a whisper. Andrew bites back a smile. "I'm Percy." He happily tells Andrew. "And, who are you?"

Andrew tapped his nameplate. "It's Andrew."

"Andrew." he repeated thoughtfully. Luke interfered in between. "He is the new kid we are fostering in right now."

They ordered to-go, those special jumbo burgers that they loved so much. Triton held up Percy and told him to take a candy from the vines dangling from the roof. "Just one though," he said warningly. Percy nodded and very carefully chose a blue one.

They walked a little away to a bench to sit on. They had ice-cream (Percy stubbornly chose a blue one, uncaring of the flavor, even though both Luke and Triton tried to make him change his mind. Joke was on them though, it was the best ice-cream Percy had ever eaten.)

They sneaked back in and played board games and Percy squealed when he saw the special edition coloring books and the jumbo pack of crayons. Which was good, because by now both Triton and Luke were completely exhausted.

They let him color, sprawled lazily on the floor and both of them took off their shoes and sat comfortably on the bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Please rate and review. I adore comments and kudos and bookmarks. Anything to show your appreciation!


End file.
